Former acting Norther Samar Governor John Kam has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for failing to return two guns and a motorcycle in 1987.

The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division said in a decision that it found Kam guilty of malversation of public property.

“When Kam had been called to account for the properties he received, he could not produce the same. His liability for malversation went into effect from the time a demand or accounting had been made,” the decision said.

Apart from imprisonment, the anti-graft court also declared Kam perpetually disqualified from holding public office. He was also told to pay a fine of P18,050, which is the amount of the guns and motorcycle.

The court pointed out that the ex-politiko remained liable for the crime even though he returned the items years later in 2001 because the trial of the case was ongoing.

Surigao del Sur Representative Prospero Pichay has been charged with graft and for violation of the ethical standards after he allegedly sponsored a chess tournament using P1.5 million worth of funds from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).

The Office of the Ombudsman filed the cases against Pichay before the Sandiganbayan over the undue advantage he gave to the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) in sponsoring the 2nd Chairman Prospero Pichay Jr. Cup International Chess Championship back in 2010.

At that time, Pichay was both LWUA chairman and NCFP president.

The Ombudsman discovered that Pichay allocated P1.5 million for the event from the funds of the LWUA even though this was not part of the LWUA’s functions.

Also named as his graft co-accused are LWUA officials Daniel Landingin, Emmanuel Malicdem and Wilfredo Feleo.

Apart from these cases, Pichay is facing before the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division three counts of graft, three counts of malversation of public funds, one count of violating the General Banking Law of 2000, and one count of violating the Manual of Regulation for Banks (MORB) over LWUA’s alleged anomalous acquisition of a thirft bank.

So far, the court dismissed the malversation cases but upheld his indictment in the others.

Former Zamboanga Sibugay council member Eric Cabarios has been slapped with a jail term of up to 40 years for pocketing more than P100,000 in financial assistance for the poor.

In a decision, the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division found Cabarios guilty of five counts of graft and five counts of malversation of public funds through malversation of public documents.

Court records show that in 2010, Cabarios conspired with provincial board employees Michelle Navalta and James Ismael Revantad in encashing checks totaling P106,828 from from the provincial government’s fund.

The three conspired to falsify the disbursement vouchers and several other supporting documents to make it appear that the amount was distributed as financial assistance to alleged beneficiaries of the provincial government’s Aid the Poor Program.

However, the court indicated that the prosecution was able to show that the beneficiaries were “considered fictitious or non-existing because they could not be located….despite the audit team exhausting all efforts to locate them”.

Meanwhile, the court ordered the cases against Navalta to be temporarily archived since she remains at large, while Revantad has just surfaced.

After being chosen to become a principal sponsor at a friend's wedding, graft accused Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella has sought permission from the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division to allow him to travel to Hong Kong from January 21 to 25.

After being chosen to become a principal sponsor at a friend’s wedding, graft accused Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella has sought permission from the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division to allow him to travel to Hong Kong from January 21 to 25.

His lawyer, Atty. Redemptor Peig, informed the court that Puentevella has been invited by the bride herself, , Catherine Sofia Francisco Herrera, whom the accused has known since 2001 and have been good friends since then.

“Accused Puentevella agreed to be a principal sponsor for the couple’s wedding,” read the motion filed by the counsel.

Puentevella has been charged with graft over the alleged overpriced purchase of computers amounting to P26 million using his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from 2002 to 2006 when he was still a congressman.

“He is not a flight risk and he has all the intention to stay in the country to protect the interests of the (Bacolod) City and the people he swore to serve,” Peig told the court. assured.

Peig also informed the Fourth Division a travel authority has been requested from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and will be present before once it becomes available.